Monday, January 3, 2011

Happy New Year 2011 everyone. For the first post of this year, I'll like to start off with a difficult encounter but unavoidable situation in life- Disappointment. I believe it is something everyone is bound to go through since life is not perfect and is of course never a bed of roses. After much observation, I think that disappointment usually arises when we have placed trust and hope in something or someone, and things do not turn out as expected. Since we cannot escape disappointment, the best thing that we can do on our part is to be ready and also be able to adapt to unexpected outcomes. Most of all, I believe that depending on God can help us avoid and overcome the many disappointments in life.

On the practical side, one simple way to avoid disappointment is to never expect things to turn out as planned. This is not meant to say that we are to be pessimistic, rather we have to learn to control our emotions and be prepared for any obstacles and failures. For instance, in study and working life, no matter how well we've rehearsed and prepared for our presentation, there's always bound to be imperfections on that day. Moreover, we may even receive unpleasant or discouraging comments before and after we are done with the presentation. At this point of time, we definitely tend to feel disappointed. It would be a lie if we try to laugh or pretend to be happy, but most importantly it is our ability to pick ourselves up from disappointment.

From the very beginning, tell yourself that there will be hiccups during the event or presentation, and certain things may not turn out though we've prepared really hard. Next thing is to not simply absorb comments especially those that are obviously an attack on your self-esteem. If you've put in your best effort, disregard baseless criticisms. Moreover, we would be a fool to try to please everyone and there is no necessity for it as well since we're not doing it for them.

So, whenever you feel disappointed..assess the situation objectively. Ask yourself what the source of disappointment is, take any appropriate action (if any that could rectify or ease the situation) and above all, move on in life knowing that every situation encountered is a new lesson in life :)